thank you everyone for your help. i just picked up a pair of 2005 armadillo nimbus. i will let you know how they work out for me. now... one last question. they are going on a 2004 trek 6700 with a non suspension fork. i am 260 pounds and my entire commute is on the road and some sidewalk. the tires are 35-100psi. i have a pump capable of going well over 100.. so should i bring it up to about 85.... or should i ride at the max 100 psi???? would one be better for my rims?

I'm about your size and I run mine at about 80. This is good enough to allow me to do some curb hopping and still keep a fairly decent pace

thank you bike forums!!! You guys kick ass!!! i just took my first spin on my armadillo nimbus and man, there is a HUGE difference between them (1.5") and the (1.95") town and countries... not only do they look sweet, but they ride equally sweet. it is like a brand new commute assault bike!!!

You're gonna love em, I'm half your weight and usually run mine at 95-100psi. If I were you, 85 would be fine.
One other thing though, not to nitpick, but I wish I had gotten non-armadillo ones. The armadillos add quite a bit of rolling resistance, they're equivalent to the 1.95 hemisphere's I used to have.

I keep my Armadillo Nimbus's at about 85 PSI. I weigh between 220-245 lbs.

I believe that the newer Armadillos have much less rolling resistance than older models - at least that is definitely the case with ARmadillo road tires. I haven't checked the specs on the slicks, but would think they would have the same technology changes as the roads.

The Romp family used 26 x 1.5 nimbus armidillo tires on their quad on their US tour the total weight was 750 lbs. They used 125 psi These may well be the toughest tires made. They used to have a website at rompfamily.com but I can't find it any more.

As an alternative, I'm 230 and rode my Nimbuses at 100. But I like a fast, harsh ride. Try it, see which you prefer.

putting em up to max PSI isn't gonna screw anything up... it will just be a harsher (albeit faster) ride. if it's too harsh let some air out....

i keep my tires at 100PSI and they feel cushy to me, but then i have ridden tires that were skinnier than the current ones at 120PSI so i know what harsh is...

My 3 year old Nimbus Armadillos only go up to 80 psi.

Have they changed the tire in the last couple of years?

Specialized was the first to publish the burst off pressure of their tires in the cycling magazines around 1980. A new tire has to withstand twice it's rated pressure. Tandem users know you can over inflate your tires about 25% but it shortens their life. Be carefull not all mountain bike rims can take the higher pressure .

I ruined a couple sets of tired because I did not keep the max air in when I was 265. it was pretty hard on the sidewalls when they were not fully inflated.